LECOM Behavioral Health Initiatives

LECOM Behavioral Health leads large-scale initiatives designed to expand access, strengthen innovation, and advance whole-person behavioral health care across the communities we serve. These initiatives reflect LECOM Health’s mission to enhance health through lifelong patient care, community-focused service, clinical innovation, and research—while upholding our values of integrity, teamwork, and compassionate care.

Together, these initiatives support behavioral health across the lifespan and further our vision of delivering outstanding, cost-effective, mind–body–spirit care for the communities we serve.

BRIDGES for Older Adults

Behavioral Health Resources for Integrated Development, Growth, Engagement, and Support (BRIDGES) for Older Adults is a three-year cooperative agreement between the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and LECOM, running through August 2027.

This project equips facilitators of chronic disease self-management courses with free training and resources to help them recognize, respond to, and refer older adults with behavioral health concerns—strengthening support for healthy aging across communities.

Project LAUNCH of Erie County, PA

LAUNCH stands for ‘Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health.’ This project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Project LAUNCH focuses on promoting the healthy development and well-being of children from birth through age 8 and their families. The initiative emphasizes the social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical aspects of early growth and development—recognizing that supporting children also means supporting the caregivers and professionals who nurture them.

Through training, community partnerships, and outreach, Project LAUNCH helps build coordinated systems of care that ensure every child in Erie County has the foundation to thrive.

HEAL-BH 

Health Expansion and Access with LECOM Behavioral Health (HEAL-BH) is a five-year initiative funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

HEAL-BH is expanding access to behavioral health services across rural communities in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio by implementing the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM)—an evidence-based approach that integrates behavioral health into primary care through both in-person and telebehavioral health connections.

Through CoCM, primary care providers, behavioral health care managers, and psychiatric consultants work as a unified team to deliver coordinated, measurement-based care for conditions such as depression and anxiety. Telebehavioral technology allows psychiatric experts to collaborate with rural clinics virtually, improving access to specialized consultation and ongoing patient support.

By connecting behavioral health and primary care across distances, HEAL-BH reduces barriers related to workforce shortages, stigma, and transportation—ensuring more patients receive timely care close to home.

Rural Psychiatry Residency Track

LECOM Health Corry Memorial Hospital received a three-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish a rural track psychiatry residency program. This initiative aims to increase access tohealthcare services in rural communities where physician shortages are most significant.

Residents in this program will complete a portion of their clinical training at Corry Memorial Hospital and Corry Counseling of LECOM Health, gaining experience with the unique needs, barriers, and characteristics of rural populations. By preparing psychiatrists to provide high-quality, community-centered care, this residency track strengthens current access to psychiatric services while supporting the long-term behavioral health workforce in rural Erie, Warren, and Crawford counties in Pennsylvania.